Dartford: HMO licensing and phased Article 4 planning controls
Dartford currently requires a mandatory HMO licence for five or more people from two or more households, with a stated purpose-built-flat exception. The displayed HMO fees are still labelled 2025/26, while the council's Article 4 controls are phased north and south of the A2. A register entry coded HMOADD is official evidence, but its scheme scope is not explained.
The mandatory threshold and exceptions
Dartford says licensable HMOs are currently those occupied by five or more people in two or more households. A purpose-built flat occupied by five people as an HMO is excluded where the block contains three or more self-contained flats. A live-in landlord requires a licence where there are four or more lodgers or tenants.
The displayed fees are from 2025/26
The council's displayed schedule gives £905 for a five-year new HMO licence and £695 for a five-year re-licence. The page is labelled 2025/26, so the 2026/27 fee position was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Dartford says a valid application is normally determined within twelve weeks after it acknowledges compliance with the legislative requirements.
A register code is not a complete scheme description
The public register contains an entry coded HMOADD for The Greyhound, 58 Main Road, Sutton-at-Hone, dated 5 March 2024 and expiring 5 March 2029. This is official evidence of a register code, but the page does not explain its qualifying criteria, geography or current policy. The full additional-licensing scheme position and current selective licensing status were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Planning controls north and south of the A2
Dartford says larger HMOs occupied by seven or more people normally require planning permission throughout the borough. Its Article 4 rules control C3-to-C4 changes for small HMOs of three to six residents in defined areas. The north-of-the-A2 direction was confirmed on 23 February 2026 and applies from 9 December 2025. The south-of-the-A2 direction was confirmed on the same date but takes effect on 10 December 2026, so it is confirmed but not yet effective on 28 August 2026.
Article 4 does not replace licensing
Dartford says lawful HMOs existing before the relevant effective date are not affected by the planning direction. The directions do not create a fixed numerical cap on HMOs, and the council may consider cumulative impact, loss of family homes and residential amenity. They do not alter housing licensing requirements.
Enforcement details need confirmation
The council says operating a licensable HMO without a licence is a criminal offence and that breaches may result in fines or prosecution. Detailed civil-penalty amounts, prosecution policy, Rent Repayment Orders and Temporary Exemption Notices were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. One public-register record displays an expiry year of 3031; retain it as displayed and check it with the council rather than silently correcting it.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Dartford tenancy still needs annual gas safety, a five-yearly EICR, a valid EPC, deposit protection within 30 days, Right to Rent checks, working smoke and CO alarms and the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet.
Verify current Dartford HMO fees, register codes, schemes, enforcement and north and south Article 4 dates via the council's official pages. Illustrative guide - fees and planning controls change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Selective licensing: UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.